Transfer of control of configuration sources

• US 10,628,174 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2016
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ahmed, Tanvir, Kaufman, Peter J., Lahiri, Shayak, Spaith, John Chadwell, Vasudevan, Janani, Flanagan, Dennis Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tanh Q
• Application Number:
  US15/046,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20170235583A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/24 Resetting means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0876 Aspects of the degree of configuration automation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A configuration control transfer (“CCT”) system controls the transferring of control of configuration information of a device from a current configuration source to a target configuration source. A CCT server of the CCT system may send to the device a message requesting the configuration information of the device. In response, a CCT client of the CCT system collects the configuration information of the device and sends the collected configuration information to the CCT server. If the second configuration source can support the configuration information of the current configuration source, the CCT server requests that the device transfer control of the configuration information from the current configuration source to the target configuration source. The CCT client then transfers control of the configuration information to the target configuration source as the new current configuration source and un-enrolls the device from the former current configuration source.

Claims

1. A method, performed by a device, for transferring control of configuration information of the device from a first configuration source to a second configuration source, the method comprising:

the device, while enrolled with the first configuration source, requesting the second configuration source to enroll the device with the second configuration source;

the device sending, to the second configuration source, configuration information of the device;

the device receiving a confirmation, from the second configuration source, that indicates that the second configuration source has determined that the second configuration source is able to support the configuration information of the device;

based at least on the receiving of the confirmation from the second configuration source, the device transferring, to the second configuration source, control of the configuration information of the device to enroll the device with the second configuration source; and

after the transferring of control by the device, the device un-enrolling the device from the first configuration source.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising prior to the device sending the configuration information of the device, the device receiving from the second configuration source a request for the configuration information of the device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the device requesting extraction of configuration information of the device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the device organizing the extracted configuration information into a standard format.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the standard format is a format compatible with the Open Mobile Alliance Device Management protocol.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the transferring of control by the device includes requesting the device to transfer the control of the configuration information of the device to the second configuration source.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein un-enrolling the device includes the device requesting the device to un-enroll the device from the first configuration source.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising after the transferring of control by the device, the device receiving from the second configuration source a modification to the configuration information of the device.

9. One or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions for controlling a computing system to transfer control of configuration information of a device from a first configuration source to a second configuration source, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

computer-executable instructions of a client component that, when executed by the device, cause the client component to;

send a request from the device to the second configuration source to enroll the device with the second configuration source, wherein the request is sent while the device is still enrolled with the first configuration source;

send from the device to the second configuration source configuration information of the device that is controlled by the first configuration source;

receive, by the device, a confirmation from the second configuration source that indicates that the second configuration source has determined that the second configuration source is able to support the configuration information of the device;

based at least on the receiving of the confirmation from the second configuration source, transfer, by the device to the second configuration source, control of configuration information of the device to enroll the device with the second configuration source;

after the transferring of control by the device, un-enroll, by the device, the device from the first configuration source.

10. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions further comprise computer-executable instructions of a server component that, when executed by the computing system, cause the server component to:

receive from the device the request to enroll the device with the second configuration source and the configuration information of the device that is controlled by the first configuration source;

determine whether the second configuration source is able to support the configuration information of the device; and

based at least on determining that the second configuration source is able to support the configuration information of the device, send to the device the confirmation.

11. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 10, wherein the computer-executable instructions of the server component that, when executed by the device, further based at least on determining that the second configuration source is unable to support the configuration information of the device, determine whether to enroll the device with the second configuration source even though the second configuration source is unable to support the configuration information of the device.

12. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions of the client component that, when executed by the device, cause the device to extract configuration information of the device and transfer control of configuration information of the device from the first configuration source to the second configuration source.

13. A computing system for transferring control of configuration information of a device from a first configuration source to a second configuration source, comprising:

the device;

one or more memories;

one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories; and

one or more computer readable storage media storing instructions that, when executed,

cause the one or more processors to perform the following operations;

send a request from the device to the second configuration source to enroll the device with the second configuration source, wherein the request is sent while the device is still enrolled with the first configuration source;

send from the device to the second configuration source configuration information of the device that is controlled by the first configuration source;

receive a confirmation at the device from the second configuration source that indicates that the second configuration source has determined that the second configuration source is able to support the configuration information of the device; and

based at least on the receiving of the confirmation from the second configuration source, transfer, to the second configuration source by the device, control of configuration information of the device to enroll the device with the second configuration source;

after the transferring of control by the device, un-enroll the device from the first configuration source by the device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise prior to sending the configuration information of the device, receiving from the second configuration source a request for the configuration information of the device.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise requesting the device to extract configuration information of the device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise organizing the extracted configuration information into a standard format.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the standard format is a format compatible with the Open Mobile Alliance Device Management protocol.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the transferring of control includes requesting the device to transfer the control of the configuration information of the device to the second configuration source.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the un-enrolling the device includes the device requesting the device to un-enroll the device from the first configuration source.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise, after the transferring of control by the device, receiving bar the device from the second configuration source a modification to the configuration information of the device.